Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo (born 9 May 1998), known as Douglas Luiz, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa, on loan from Serie A club Juventus, and the Brazil national team. He is an Olympic champion, winning gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football final.

Douglas Luiz is a product of the Vasco da Gama academy; he was signed by Manchester City in 2017, but never played a competitive match during his time at the club, due to work permit difficulties, and was subsequently loaned out to La Liga side Girona twice. Aston Villa signed Luiz in July 2019 where he spent five seasons, ultimately helping the side qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over 40 years in 2024; he subsequently signed for Juventus.

Club career

Vasco da Gama

Luiz was born in Rio de Janeiro and joined Vasco da Gama's youth setup in 2013, aged 14, after being approved in a number of tests held in Itaguaí. In July 2016, he was promoted to the first team by manager Jorginho due to Marcelo Mattos' injury.

Luiz made his first team debut on 27 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Fellype Gabriel in a 2–2 away draw against Tupi for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B championship. In his first start three days later, he scored his team's only goal in a 2–1 loss at Vila Nova.

Luiz remained a starter for the Cruz-maltino until the end of the year, as his side achieved promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. In the meantime, he also extended his contract until 2019, on 26 September 2016.

Luiz made his debut in the main category of Brazilian football on 14 May 2017, starting in a 4–0 away loss against Palmeiras. His first goal in the division occurred on 10 June, as he netted his team's second in a 2–1 home win against Sport.